Sanitary closet



April 1o, 1956 Filed March 25, 1952 R. l. WEEKES SANITARY CLOSET 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ROBERT l. wEEKEs S'Mmle Mvg/g.

Atlorney April 10, 1956 Filed March 25, 1952 R. I. WEEKES SANITARY CLOSET 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor;

ROBERT I w EE 55 By BMM/u/g Attorney SANITARY CLOSET Robert Irvine Weekes, Beat-seien, Scotland, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Destrol Manufacturing Company Limited, London, England f t Application March 25, `1952, Serial No. 278,326 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-115) This invention has reference to sanitary closets and particularlyV to chemical closets of the kind provided with a ,pan mounted above and adapted to discharge into a sewage-receiving settling tank containing disinfectant liquid.

`One object of the present invention is to provide means whereby disinfectant liquid is drawn from the settling tank for use in flushing the pan.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means for scavenging the settling tank of sewage sludge.

The invention broadly consists in the provision of a flushing cistern for the pan, a suction pump adapted to draw` filtered disinfectant liquid from the settling tank and to discharge into the cistern, controlled means for driving the pump, and a manually-operable self-closing discharge valve controlling a discharge outlet from the settling tank.

More particularly, the invention consists in the provision of a flushing cistern for the pan, an electricallydriven suction pump for replenishing the flushing cistern with filtered liquid drawn from the settling tank, a valvecontrolled discharge opening in the lower part of the settling tank, manually operable means for opening said discharge valve, and switch means for controlling the pump.

The ilushing cistern may be supported on a pedestal enclosing the electrically-driven pump, and the switch may be a manually actuated time switch mounted on the pedestal or a lloat-operated switch controlled by the level of water in the flushing cistern.

Grids or baflies may be mounted in the sewage-receiving portion of the settling tank to assist in the disintegration of solid matter in the tank when the pan is flushed.

The invention will be more readily `understood by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating examples of my invention and whereon:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the cistern, and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view and Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view of one form of settling tank for use with the assembly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the various component parts.

Referring firstly to Figs. 1, 2 and 5, a pan 10 is mounted above a settling tank, which may take the forms shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A pedestal 11 behind the pan 10 supports a flushing cistern 12 which may be of any convenient known construction and which discharges through a flushing pipe 13 into the pan 10. The reference character H designates the handle for actuating the flush tank. A discharge pipe 14 connects 'the pan to the upper part of the settling tank. The pedestal 11 encloses a pump P and a feed pipe F for supplying liquid to the flushing cistern, and the pump draws liquid from the settling tank through a suction pipe enclosed` within the pedestal 11.

pedestal and pan United States Patent and the wire or cable 21 The pump may be driven by any suitable means, but is preferably driven by an electric motor M which may be controlled by means of a switch. For instance, a float may be provided within the llushing cistern and carried by a movable'arm in known manner, the float arm being arranged to control an electric switch to close the pump motor circuit when the level of the water in the ilushing cistern falls belowa predetermined level and to open the pump motor circuit when the iloat rises to a predetermined height. The float arm may actuate the movable contact member of a movable blade switch or the float arm may control a mercury switch or any other known forni of make and break switch capable of breaking the current supply to the electrically driven pump when the Water in thecistern rises to a predetermined level.

Alternatively, the pump motor circuit may be controlled by a hand-operated time switch, which may be mounted on the front of the pedestal as shown at 15 in Fig. l.

The settling tank is adapted to contain a disinfectant and preferably non-corrosive liquid and as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 comprises a casing 16 into the top of which the discharge pipe 14 opens through a tank inlet 17. A discharge outlet 18 in the lower part of the tank leads through the pipe 19 to a drainage pit or other disposal means and the outlet 18 is normally closed by a selfclosing valve 20 adapted to be opened by actuating a flexible connection or wire or cable 21 leading to a handle or actuating member mounted in an accessible position above the settling tank or on the pedestal 11. The valve 20 may be conveniently held closed by means of a spring may be encased in a flexible casing leading from an operating handle for the wire or cable, Such as the known Bowden wire mechanism.

A vertical partition 22 in the upper part of the tank extends downwards from the top thereof to form with the rear and side walls of the tank a filter chamber 23 having a reticulated or perforated bottom wall 24 for a filtered entry of liquid from the tank into the chamber 23, the side Walls of which are imperforate. The wire or cable 21 may pass through the chamber 23 and be encased at 25 where it may pass up through the pedestal.

An overflow pipe 26 leads down from the upper` part of the tank into the outlet 18. A suction pipe 27 leads out from the vfilter chamber 23 to the pump.

Upper and lower reversely inclined connected baille plates 2S and 29 are provided in the tank. The plate 28 extends downwards and beneath the inlet 17 from the partition 22 which forms one side wall.k of the filter chamber 23 and the baflle plate 29 extends downwards in the reverse direction to the bottom of the tank, and the plate 29 has an opening 30 in the lower part thereof. An additional baille plate 31 may be provided in the lower corner of the tank. It will be noted that the bafiie plate 28 extends obliquely downwardly from the lower end of the partition 22 so as to be disposed directly under the inlet 14 and that the baille plate 29 extends obliquely downwardly from the lower end of the baille plate 23 but in a direction reverse thereto. The baille plates assist in the disintegration of solid matter in the tank during flushing and may be either imperforate or in the form of reticulated or perforated plates or grids.

I claim: v

l. A self-contained sanitary closet unit for use where no piped main water supply is available comprising a sanitary pan, a settling tank for containing liquid disinfectant, said settling tank being disposed below said pan and having a connection to the pan for conducting effluent from the pan to the tank, an elevated flushing cistern having a normally closed outlet to the pan, a hollow filter member mounted within said settling tank, said filter member deni'ng'a ilt'er chamber'with ai perforate bottom wall and at leasta portion thereofincludingsaid bottom'walleX-- tending below the level of the liquid disinfectant in the tank, said perforate bottom wall being spaced a substantial distance` above the'bottomofthetank so asto be" disposed inv a' region" of disinfectantl substantially free from` sediment, a suction pumphaving an inlet' communicatingwithsaid filter chamberbelow'the liquid level supply off disinfectant in said flushing cistern from said` ltcrchamber.

2. Inl the sanitary closet unit as defined' in claim 1 wherein said' settling tankincludes a baille' assembly disposedtherein, said baille assembly including a rst vertical portion extending downwardly from the top of the settling tank, a second portion extending obliquely downwardly from the lower end of the vertical portion and extending in a direction to be disposed directly below the connection between the settling-tank andthepan, and a third portion extending downwardly from the lower end of the second portion and reve'rsely thereto and extending at its lower end to the bottom of the tank, the third portion having an opening therein adjacent the bottom ofV` the tank, and 'said' lilter' chamber' being disposed between said first vertical portion of the battle andone-endvwallofI the -tank on-that` side of the vertical portion opposite the second portion and with the perforate bottom wall of the tiltermember being disposed substantially at the juncture of the first and second baffle portions.

3. In the sanitary closetI unit as defined in claim l wherein an outlet pipe is connected to the lower end of the tank in communcationtherewith for connecting the tank with a drainage pitavselfclosing valve normally closing# the outlet from theta'nk tosaid outlet pipe, an overflow pipe connecting the upper: part of said lter chamber to said outlet pipe at the discharge sideof the said selfclosing valve, and means for opening said self-closing valve to empty the tank.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 964,217 Cronk JulyV '12, 1910" 1,203,707 Cronk Nov; 7,. 1916 11,303,358v Montgomery May.- 13, 1919. 1,621,221 Pogue Mar. 15, 1927. 1,625,902v Lee Apr. 26, 19.27

FOREIGN PATENTS 303,564 Germany Feb. 5, 1918 

